Chanel Iman and Sterling Shepard have split after six years together, Us Weekly has learned.
The pair quietly separated and are “getting divorced,” a source exclusively tells Us, adding, “They are going to try and remain civil and friendly towards each other.” Us confirmed that Shepard, 28, officially filed for divorce in June 2021, less than two years after the duo welcomed their second child.
Ahead of their split, the professional football player opened up about how the couple first connected when he spotted the model, 31, at a party in 2016.
“When I was younger, I’d see her in the Victoria’s Secret magazines that my sisters were getting, but it didn’t really come to me. When she walked into the room one of my boys was like, ‘You know who that is?’ and I was like, ‘No,’” he recalled to Haute Living in August 2019, noting that one of his friends actually wanted to talk to Iman first.
“I approached her and asked her if she wanted a drink, and we were just talking for the rest of the party, and then we went to some club for the afterparty and kept talking. I got her number, and we went our own separate ways, but we stayed in contact,” Shepard explained at the time. “It was kind of crazy. And now that’s my lady.”
Two years after they started dating, the New York Giants wide receiver popped the question.
“A night full of tears of happiness,” Iman wrote on social media about the proposal. “I’m beyond excited to spend the rest of my life with you @sterl_shep3 you are my soulmate, my best friend, my everything! Can’t wait to be your Mrs.”
Following their March 2018 nuptials, the Victoria’s Secret Angel announced that they were expecting their first child. The Georgia native told Us at the time that although her first trimester was “very difficult,” she was “anxious to meet” her little one.
Shepard and Iman welcomed their daughter Cali in August 2018 and one year later shared the news that they were expecting baby No. 2.
The athlete candidly discussed how they were preparing to transition into a family of four, sharing with Us in August 2019, “It’s honestly tough whenever you put a baby into the situation because you’ve got to still try to find time for each other and a lot of the focus goes onto the baby.
The Oklahoma native added at the time: “So that’s the main thing is just me trying to carve out a little time in my schedule and her trying to carve out time in her schedule because we’re both pretty busy. That’s the toughest thing about it, but we find a way to get through it.”
Ahead of their second daughter’s arrival later that year, the NFL player also gushed about how Iman “takes care of me like no one ever has,” noting, “I mean, the closest thing to [compare it] is my mom, so I love everything about being married to her. She’s one of a kind.”
The duo welcomed daughter Cassie in December 2019.
With reporting by Travis Cronin and Diana Cooper
